Office of the President

Dr. Stephen E. Smith joined Eastern Oklahoma State College on July 1, 2005 as the Dean of the McAlester campus and was appointed as president by the Eastern Board of Regents on March 28, 2007. Upon his appointment as president, Dr. Smith was 38 years of age, making him the youngest college president in the state at that time.

Before joining Eastern, Dr. Smith gained experience in both the public school and CareerTech systems. He began his career as a high school assistant, principal and coach at Stigler Public Schools. Upon leaving Stigler, he was hired as an assistant principal at Stillwater High School, where he became one of the state’s leaders in the development of the Teachers as Advisors program. Dr. Smith presented the concepts of this program to more than 100 public schools across Oklahoma. He was also named as a two-time finalist for Assistant Principal of the Year in the state of Oklahoma.

After his tenure with Stillwater schools, Dr. Smith remained in Stillwater and was named the Director of Full Time Instructional Programs at Meridian Technology Center. During his time in this position, he assisted with the development of the first precision metal fabrication program in Oklahoma, as well as one of the first bio-technology programs. At the time of their development, both programs were considered cutting-edge training programs throughout the state.

Dr. Smith earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Northeastern State University and his education specialist and doctorate in educational leadership from Oklahoma State University. He received national recognition for his research on the transition of dependent school district students to independent school districts in Oklahoma.

A native of Quinton, Dr. Smith has one son, Garrett.

Contact the President’s Office
Marci O'Donley
Administrative Assistant to President and Board of Regents
918.465.1723
Bill Hill Library Building 201A